Halo x RWBY: Grimm Eclipse
by Cole Tyger
Summary: rwby in the halo/rvb universe. rwby's are older because of the active military thing. hope you enjoy the ride, and my spin on things! :)
1. Chapter 1

It has been two hundred years since the time of the Master Cheif. The races of the Covenant have come together once again, but now for security and survival in the wake of a new galactic threat.

The Grimm.

Little is known of the origins and history of these monsters, but they behave like the Flood, are as tough as Prometheans, and exhibit traits of both.

Humanity have been the only ones to stem the tide of a Grimm invasion for even a limited time, but for now they have been forced back to a small handful of worlds, and their once great fleet has been quartered in order to protect their most important remaining strongholds.

For while the Grimm can be destroyed with the common weapons of war, it is only by combining Promethean technology with a rare element only found on four worlds in the reduced Human domain.

Arkanium.

When used to construct Promethean-tech weapons, the reaction with Grimm leads to their remains transforming into a type of crystal that can be used to enhance the power systems of our combat armor and weaponry.

We simply call it Dust.

But with the new threat, came the need for a higher grade of soldier. The Spartans, our Ultimate Fighters, are no longer enough. The ferocity and infectiousness of the Grimm is such that we need more...we need Hunters.

And these are their storys.

"Commander, I think you should see this recruit," Fleet Commander Ozpin hears as the AI that equips the new HUNTER candidates with AI fragment programs activates holo-screens around him.

"Really Monty? A single recruit out of how many?" Ozpin asks rhetorically as he turns his attention to one of the screens.

"Yes sir. This one is special, as you will see," the tiny holo of a Asiatic man with flamboyant hairstyle and clothing tells him as he appears in a swirl of computer generated particles.

"Is this real time?" Ozpin suddenly asks, all his attention focused on the screen.

"No sir, this was recorded yesterday, and forwarded to us this morning. I brought it to your attention as soon as I finished reviewing the rest of the files to insure that there were no others of this caliber," Monty returns.

"Did that trooper really just use a sniper rifle as a club against a Brute, before shooting it with it, point blank?" Ozpin asks, unable to believe what he's just witnessed.

"Sir, that's just the start," Monty gives him a knowing smirk. "The highlights of that film include her taking down a Warden, without backup, and outrunning a Spartan XIV."

"You mean to tell me that she's not a Spartan yet?" Ozpin demands incredulously.

"Exactly. According to her med records, she is just coming off her final growth cycle," Monty explains.

"Meaning she is just now becoming eligible for the process," Ozpin nods his understanding.

"I want her as a Huntress, Sir," Monty tells him. "She's going to be one of the best ever."

""How do you know that?" Ozpin asks, crossing from the viewport he had been looking out of and back to his desk, where he takes a seat.

"Partly a hunch, and partly knowing her bloodlines," the AI responds, calling up other personnel files.

"Xiao Long is her father? Couldn't prove it by her style, although there is something familiar about the way she moves," Ozpin remarks, glancing back at another screen still displaying the holo sim run.

"No, her half-sister follows after him more than this one does," Monty agrees, throwing up another profile.

"...This one is going to be a handful," he remarks drily after skimming Yang Xiao Long's file.

"Probably," Monty smirks.

"So who is her mother?" Ozpin finally asks.

His answer appears in the form of another profile, one that shocks him.

"Summer Rose..." he trails off, thinking back to her accomplishments...and the mission she never returned from.

"Yes. Her psych profile would ordinarily be of concern, but the context helps mitigate its downside," Monty adds as another file appears.

"I hate trying to sort out the double talk in these things, break it down for me," Ozpin orders.

"She wants to be a hero," Monty explains with a shrug. "But not in the "I want to be worshiped" kind of way. Her entire goal in life, is to be the best she can possibly be, to live up to the legacy of her mother. She doesn't want to get all the credit, she just wants to save lives. She wants to be the one that they give the impossible missions to, because her inclusion will make them that much less impossible."

"Green light her for Spartan Augmentation," Ozpin orders. "And fast track her to the Hunters.

"The medics could be wrong about her Growth Cycle," Monty cautions.

"Doesn't matter if we use the new procedure," Ozpin counters.

"True, so you deem her worth jumping the gun," Monty asks for confirmation.

Ozpin watches the end of her sim run, where she literally kicks a Watcher Eternal in the face before the safety cutouts end the sim on her.

"Worth it? If some stupid accident happened to her before we got her processed it would be a true tragedy," Ozpin answers. "Anyone with the bravery to do that, let alone the skills to do it un-augmented...we can't let her slip through our fingers."

"Confirmed. Ruby Rose will be the first of the Spartan XV's," Monty nods. "I'll begin designing her interface at once...she needs something special."

"Allow her to use the Warmaster design if she wishes it," Ozpin adds. "She seems predisposed to speed, and while that configuration will support those, it offers better defense than the pure speed designs."

"Logged," Monty acknowledges, before spiraling out.

"And now Miss Rose, I look forward to seeing what you are truly capable of with the proper tools," Ozpin muses to himself.

"Ruby Rose, Report to Medbay," rings through the ships com.

"Huh? Why the hell do they need me in Medbay?" she mutters under her breath as she turns around to head in the proper direction.

Upon her arrival, she is presented with a datapad, and told to read it and sign where indicated.

"What's this all about?" she demands, pulling off her ODST style helmet and hanging it from her belt as she waves the Datapad at the med techs.

"You signed up for Spartan augmentation, didn't you?" the tech that had handed her the pad asks.

"Well, yeah, doesn't everyone?" she returns, still not getting it.

"Read the paperwork and sign it so we can get started making you one then," he returns with a smirk, enjoying watching as her expression changes through confusion to understanding to excitement as she nearly buries her nose in the datapads display.

"Hey, what's this "optional genetic manipulation for enhanced performance" part mean?" she demands after a few moments of reading.

"Means if you opt for it, we can splice some Animal DNA into you to make you even better at what you're already good at, or beef up something that you suck at," the tech answers her. "Hardly any of them actually read the paperwork close enough to find that, but there have been a few."

"What are the options?" she asks.

"Depends on what you want to work on," he shrugs.

"Reflexes, with a secondary on foot speed, but no cats," she returns after considering it for a moment. "I don't like spots," she adds, figuring they'd automatically try to make her take a Cheetah.

"Hmm... then let's try...this," the tech says after a moment having taken the pad back from her and opening another file for her to look over.

"Twenty percent increase in reflex speed, and a thirty percent boost to top speed," she reads. "What's the down side?" she demands, knowing that there is ALWAYS a down side.

"With this one? Not that much," he answers. "The possibility, not certain, but odds are high, of growing a tail, and your ears changing to look more like the animals. The fur...as I recall with this one the listed generally follows your own pigmentation rather than overwriting you."

"...do it," she decides, signing off on her selection, and the rest of the papers officiating her agreement to undergo the process of augmentation to become a Spartan.

"Will do. This will add a few extra days to your conversion," he nods, accepting the pad back, and making certain that all the needed signatures are in place.

"So when do we start?" she asks.

"As soon as you can strip that armor and suit and get your ass into the chamber," he answers, pulling back a curtain to reveal what at first glance resembles a twentieth century tanning bed.

"Right," she nods, already popping armor locks. "Where do I put my gear?" she asks.

"Storage container is over there," the tech points. "Anything that isn't issue, put in the smaller personal effect box inside, and we'll make sure you get it back after."

"That stuff stays in my rack," she snorts, using the common slang for her quarters.

Quickly stripping down, she clambers into the medichamber, and pulls the lid down upon herself, sighing as she hears the seals hiss as they lock, and allowing her head to rest in the indentation provided.

"Hello," Monty's voice echoes slightly in the chamber. "I'll be overseeing your conversion process. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"Yeah, how long is this going to take?" she asks.

"Normal Spartan Augmentation Procedures take roughly a week and a half from beginning to final suit up," he answers. "Your choice to add genetic alteration to the process will extend that to roughly two weeks, depending upon how quickly you acclimate to the changes afterward."

"How much of this am i going to remember?" she asks.

"Very little I'm afraid," he returns. "We will be knocking you out so we can upgrade your implant. Once that is complete, we will introduce the genetic alterations, and then accelerate them to completion. This part would likely be incredibly painful, so we will imply keep you under until after. Once the growth cycle finishes, we begin the physical augmentation. You will be issued a semblance when you awaken, and begin learning how your altered body works. having looked over your files, i feel the need to warn you now, while I'm sure you will remember it. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN WHEN YOU AWAKEN. The adjustments you will need to make will be numerous, and will take at best a day or two, possibly longer."

"That is going to suck in a big way," she grumbles, already fidgeting in the confined space.

"Probably more so for you than most," Monty agrees. "Now I want you to start counting backward from fifty."

As Ruby follows the order, she starts to notice that she's feeling oddly heavy, and passes out before making it to twenty.

"And now to make the magic happen," Monty says within the pod, hoping that it will stick in her sleeping mind.

"UP AND AT 'EM, Spartan Rose!" she hears before a bugle sounds practically in her ear, causing her to nearly jump out of the bed.

"Uh, who dropped the ordinance pod on my head?" she groans as she leans forward. Then she opens her eyes again and actually gets a good look at herself.

"GAH! What the hell happened! I'm as big as Yang now!" she blurts out.

"Not even close little sis," she chuckles back, causing Ruby to whip her head around to see the older sister she hasn't seen in more than a year. "As you can see, you are still the Little Sister here," she jokes as she gestures to her own expansive chest, barely held in check by the Spartan armored bodysuit.

"Yang! Whoa...you got spliced too, didn't you?" Ruby smirks as she notices the golden horns peeking through the hair atop her sister's head, and the long muscular tail trailing on the floor next to and around her chair.

"Yup. Etoran Dragon Snake. I'm strong enough now that i can arm wrestle other Spartans in their armor, when I'm not," she grins deviously. "It's fun being able to throw tanks at people."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you here?" Ruby asks her.

"It's normal for a New Spartan to have a more experienced one help them through acclimatization," Yang answers. "Since i was in for an upgrade to my interface, i was assigned to get you back on your feet."

"Okay, that makes sense," the younger sister nods. "Now explain to me why our tits blew up like balloons," she demands.

"It's part of the drawbacks to the splicing," Yang explains. "Seems the human body, females in particular, react this way most of the time. i hear the guys gain a inch or two below the belt, with a nice little bit of added girth."

"You always were a perv," Ruby smirks at her sister.

"Sis, you have NO idea anymore," Yang laughs. "But you'll find out soon enough."

"So what do I wear while I'm getting back on my feet," Ruby asks, looking around.

"Same as me," Yang answers, as she gets up and grabs another bodysuit off the footlocker at the end of the bed. "Your first test is to get yourself dressed."

"Alright," Ruby grins, throwing the blankets off, and accidentally shredding them. "Oops."

"No biggy, most of the newbies rip them when they wake up, till they can get a handle on the enhancements," Yang tells her. "I actually broke the bed and ended up on the floor."

"Big surprise, all that tail, reinforced as a Spartan, you can probably hold yourself up in midair for a half hour at least," Ruby snorts, as she carefully maneuvers her feet into the feet of the suit.

"Longer than that," Yang grins as she suddenly lifts her legs up and crosses them so it looks like she's sitting in midair, her tail coiled beneath her holding her up.

"Showoff," Ruby sticks her tongue out at her.

"You know it," Yang laughs, enjoying being around her sister after so long apart.

"So what have you been up to?" Ruby asks as she finally gets her feet properly set, and begins pulling the suit up her legs.

"I was assigned to an escort frigate, and have been pulling security assignments," Yang answers.

"You need to hurry this along, she needs to be in recovery within the next fifteen minutes," a third voice chimes in as a miniature version of Yang appears in a small explosion of golden flames.

"Okay Zhue, no more questions 'till we are in motion," Yang nods.

"You got a Semblance!?" Ruby demands in excitement. "That means you made it to Hunter!"

"I'm not the only one," Yang smirks back.

"Rosewind, why haven't you introduced yourself yet?" Zhue demands.

"Because she was concentrating on getting dressed, and I didn't want to distract her," a miniature Ruby says as she appears out of a small tornado of rose petals.

"What?! I just made Spartan, I can't have been selected for Hunter yet!" Ruby squawks in shock.

"Regardless, you have been selected," Rosewind tells her. "I am your AI assistance Fragment, Also known as a Semblance. You may call me Rosewind."

"Whoa, things are moving way too fast all of a sudden," Ruby mutters as she plops back down on the bed...landing wrong and kinking her new tail.

"YAAAHHH!... Jeez that hurt!" she yelps as she launches herself off the bed, saved from further painful crash only thanks to Yang intercepting her.

As Yang sets her back down on her feet, Ruby is gingerly inspecting the base of her tail with her hands, trying to ascertain the damage.

"Thread it through your suit, and finish getting dressed," Yang smirks at her.

"Indeed, you are about to be late," Rosewind tells her. "It would be bad if the youngest Spartan since the original Spartan II's was late showing up for her recovery session."

"Still can't believe they jumped me past the mandatory time in grade to Hunter status," she says to herself as she follows orders, pleased to discover the suit was made with her new measurements in mind.

"Slippers," Yang tosses her the footwear, purposely making them separate in flight so Ruby will need to react to catch them. "Since we will be getting new and improved armor later, we had to turn in our old kit, so no boots."

"Jeez, I feel like a little kid again," Ruby grumbles as she deftly balances on one foot, her tail maneuvering behind her without her realizing it to assist her balance. "There. Now let's see if i can walk without falling on my face," she smirks, taking her first steps.

And falling face first into her sisters' cleavage as her turn and step has her tripping over herself.

"Good thing for you I had that zipped down for ventilation," Yang chuckles as she lifts Ruby up to untangle her feet before putting her back down. "Now, want to try that again? At about a quarter speed, so your brain can start getting used to the new reaction times?" she snarks as she backs off a few steps.

"Right, one step at a time...baby steps at that," Ruby mutters in embarrassment.

After a few slow shuffling steps, the pair are confident in Ruby's renewed ability to walk, so Yang leads the way, while Ruby asks questions that she and the Semblance AI attempt to answer for her.

"So I'm the new model?" Ruby asks, surprised.

"Yup," Rosewind replies, her mannerisms becoming more and more like Ruby's as they converse. "They kicked off the new line with you, because the process for reinforcement will still allow for a limited amount of growth, and they aren't a hundred percent sure you won't be getting any taller."

"I'm nineteen, odds are pretty long I'm going to be getting any taller," Ruby smirks back. Then she looks down and adds, "Although I would have said my boobs wouldn't get any bigger either...And why didn't the Medtech warn me about that?" she suddenly demands.

"Rubes, have you ever known a guy to think bigger boobs was a bad thing?" Yang smirks over her shoulder.

Ruby facepalms at that one, knowing her sister is absolutely correct, a male Medtech likely wouldn't have considered that a drawback...but then again he didn't have to carry them around! "Good thing I'm a Spartan now, or else I'd be heading for some major back pain in the future...although nothing like you would be," she smirks back at Yang.

"Eh, I've always been tougher than you kiddo, so I wouldn't be as likely to "suffer" with these monsters," Yang shrugs negligently. "But here's the therapy room where you get your old mojo back," she tells her, palming the door controls and letting them in. "Not that i figure you'll be here long. Rosewind is helping you recover WAY faster than i did."

"What?" Ruby blurts out in surprise.

"I have been buffering your motor control responses since your first steps and the action of catching your slippers," Rosewind tells her. "I've been slowly dialing them back up to full strength as you walk, allowing you to become accustomed to your new capabilities gradually, rather than forcing you to do it yourself as your sister did."

"Yeah, dad and I had to spend a LOT of time in here after I finally managed to stagger down the halls," Yang agrees. "Not particularly fun, but something that had to be done to get where I am now."

"So I'm ready to run now?" Ruby asks, eager to begin testing herself for real.

"No. I currently have only restored you to seventy-five percent of your capabilities. You still need to put in the work required here, just not as much of it," Rosewind answers her.

"Alright then, I'll treat it just like any other training," she nods, her game face taking over as she enters the physical therapy room.

"Astounding. We've never had a Spartan recover this quickly," the Medtech reviewing Ruby's data confides in Yang.

"I doubt there has ever been another Spartan as focused as she is since the early days of the program," Yang returns with a proud grin.

"Oh?" the tech asks, wincing as Ruby kills a heavy bag with a punch kick combination that rips it off its mounting braces.

"Yeah," Yang nods, her grin widening. "So she cleared?"

"Oh yeah," the tech nods, grinning back. "You guys scored a winner with this one."

"Tell me about it," Yang chuckles as she walks over to Ruby.

"We have orders," Rosewind and Zhue report.

"Talk to us," Yang orders as Ruby wipes her face with a towel.

"06:00 tomorrow, all Hunter candidates are to report to the Launch deck for an assignment," Rosewind tells them.

"You will be issued a standard kit, and armor onboard your transports," Zhue continues.

"Anything else?" Yang asks.

"No...oddly light on details," Zhue reports.

"Probably want to see how we handle the unknown," Ruby shrugs.

"You're awfully unconcerned about things," Yang remarks as the pair head to the ships Mess.

"Don't know enough to even have a clue about what's going on, so no point in getting bent out of shape over it," Ruby retorts with a shrug. "Besides, we'll find out in the morning."

"True enough. Now let's get something to eat," Yang agrees, as they head down the halls.

"Orders say Fight Line at 06:00," Yang says as she and Ruby enter the hanger bay the next morning.

"Why is there such a large open area?" Ruby wonders as they join a group of others in little more than Spartan Body Suits.

"We'll find out soon," a voice she can't identify answers her from the group. "Nearly Showtime."

"Are we ready?" the Invisible Spartan asks her AI.

"Whenever you give the word," the AI answers.

"Consider it given," the Spartan grins under her helm, leaping from her perch as the active cloak powers down, landing with a loud clang in front of the candidates, precisely as the chrono's tick over to 06:00.

"Ten-SHUN!" one of the candidates barks, causing the rest to immediately jump into orderly lines and snap to attention.

"You have all shown promise above and beyond other Spartans," the black armored woman begins, the armored sleeves covering her tails lashing as she begins to pace up and down the lines, a modulator in her helmet making her voice sound harsh and grating. "As such, you have been selected to undergo additional Training to bring you up to the ranks of the Hunters. You are already Elite by being Spartans, we will make you better. Or you will die.

"Well that's reassuring," Ruby mutters under her breath.

"When i give the order, you will board the nearest Specter Infiltrator, and we will be on our way to the next stage of your development," the black armored woman continues. "In route, you will armor up, and prepare to drop upon arrival. Your Semblance's will have additional information for you as events unfold." she then stops and turns to face the lot of them, her visor seeming to glow brighter as she asks, "Any Questions?"

"Who are you?" Yang blurts out, with a belated, "Sir," tacked on afterward.

"I am Field Marshal Glynda Goodwitch," she says as she removes her helmet, the small grey fox ears atop her blond hair twitching as they straighten back up. "Commander of ALL Hunter operations aboard The Shining Beacon."

"Sir! Understood, Sir!" Yang barks out at the information.

"Anything more?" Goodwitch asks, arching an eyebrow as she takes notice of Ruby standing next to Yang.

When no one answers, she nods and orders, "Move out! I want this flight in the void within five minutes!" suiting action to words as she returns to board her own ship, with her handpicked group of evaluation Hunters.

They are in motion within four.

"Stupid trainee bullshit," Yang grumbles as she finishes up in the Armorer Harness. "Do they have any idea how hard it is to get the molding right for these horns? Why couldn't we just keep our old helmets?"

"Relax Blondie," an unknown male tells her as he swaggers over, his blood red armor a striking contrast to her yellow and tan. "If you want, I can help you once we finish up...I've been told I'm great at getting you splicers feeling like you're floating on air."

"I would break you in half," she snorts in return, casually flicking her tail at him and knocking his feet out from under him, to the laughter of the rest of the candidates aboard.

"Play nice Yang," Ruby smirks as she finishes up, her red armor over black suit looking more impressive than the other guys' total red. "We don't know what comes next, we might have to work with him."

"Only if I get to use him as a club," Yang retorts.

"Marshal, we've got a problem," Greyfox reports, moments after they exit slipspace.

"Oh, fucking hell," she groans at the images projected on the inside of her visor. "Attention all ships and crew," she says as she holds a hand to the side of her helmet. "This just turned into the real thing," she informs them. "We've had a Covenant Frigate crash in the Emerald Forest sector, and we now have Grimm on the ground. Mountain Glenn, Forever Fall, and The Lodge are still secure, but we have no idea how long things will stay that way. Unfortunately, we can no longer access the training system, so the Hard Light holograms are still active, meaning you will have to deal with them, in addition to the Grimm. Drop protocols are being altered, you will now be targeted to land in close proximity of previously deployed ordinance pods. Gear up, and take the fight to them. Specters will head for the Lodge, to refuel and stock supplies, before returning to fly C.A.P. they will be available to drop additional weapons and gear, as well as provide fire support. All Units to your Drop Pods, we are going in hot, and i have no intention of losing this instillation to these bastards. Lock and Load, and we will see you on the ground," she says by way of signing off. "Now, get us into position, we've got us some monsters to kill."

"Well, there goes the fun factor of this little field trip," another male with neon blue over black mutters once Goodwitch cuts the message off.

"You think getting dropped wearing newbie armor with nothing but a standard issue sidearm is fun?" Yang counters, tipping her head to the side as if hoping a different angle will help make him make more logical sense. "You been told lately that you ain't right in the head?"

"Regularly. Funny, I'm still here, and the ones that ignored what i had to say got themselves killed...go figure," he shrugs, before pulling the hatch closed on his drop pod.

"I don't know if I should be happy someone like that is dropping with us, or terrified," Yang mutters to Ruby as they approach their own pods, as the rest follow suit, or seal up ahead of them.

"Be happy, he will probably drive the monsters crazy," Ruby giggles, slapping her sister on the shoulder before leaving her to enter her own pod.

"Ruby, we are getting our drop coordinates, and we are receiving data files on the Grimm for us to share with all of you," Rosewind reports, with the telemetry appearing on the right side of her display, while the files begin popping up on the left.

"Fill me in on the way down, and prepare to remind me of pertinent details once we make contact," Ruby tells her before she can begin the briefing in earnest. "I get the feeling I'm going to be too busy to ask you to remind me about weak spots and stuff."

"Understood," Rosewind nods, before getting started.

The pods launch less than a minute later.


	2. Chapter 2

As her Orbital Insertion Pod slams into the ground, Ruby is instantly yanking on the hatch release, and is highly annoyed to discover that it's not working.

"Looks like you'll need to open it the hard way," Rosewind tells her.

"Situation normal: All Fucked Up," Ruby quips the ages old SNAFU joke as she gets a grip on the "panic bar" over her head, and curls up around it, before unloading a double dropkick on the hatch, caving it in before the seals give and it goes flying.

"Okay, I've got our location," Rosewind tells her, overlaying a selection of navpoints on her HUD. "It looks like we got scattered a bit more than anticipated, but we seem to be closest to this cluster of ordinance pods," she explains as she causes that nav point to turn blue. "These are unknown Candidates," she continues as the multitude of green points flash. "And this is the telemetry of your sisters pod," she finishes as another green point turns gold. "What do you want to do?"

"We make for the weapons," Ruby tells her. Opening a com channel, Ruby calls, "This is Rose, I have a solid lock on some ordinance pods, and am moving to secure. Anyone close by, home in on my signal." Breaking into what is for her an easy jog, but for most would be a ground devouring sprint, Ruby orders, "Repeat the message in two minute intervals, until we secure the pods, then I'll make another live transmission."

She smiles when Rosewind doesn't bother to respond, and just simply starts the loop cycle.

"-Anyone close by, home in on my signal."

"I love you squirt," Yang grins as Zhue displays Ruby's nav point, and plots an intercept course.

Unnoticed by Yang, a completely black garbed Spartan makes note of her heading and urgency, their purple visor flashing as they follow after, sticking to the massive trees as much as possible.

"It looks like we have around a dozen heading our way," Rosewind reports.

"Never thought I'd ever get to see a Halo ring world, let alone end up playing scout on a combat drop onto one," Ruby snorts. Breaking through the underbrush into a clearing, she finds a Covenant Elite (authors note: i'll use proper racial names for friendly's, badguys get the old names) that opens fire on her with duel plasma rifles.

The alien can't match her agility though, as she rapidly closes the distance, skidding in under his aim, and unloading a single magnum round into his chin, blowing his head off.

"We got any more?" Ruby demands, as she attempts to look everywhere at once.

"Not with the sensors I have access to," Rosewind returns.

Only to be startled by a flurry of gunshots and the thud of a heavy body landing behind her.

Looking down at the Elite that had nearly backstabbed her, Ruby turns in the direction of the shots origin as a white garbed Spartan dashes up.

"Dumbass shut down his Active Cammo before getting ready to stab you," White tells her, kicking the body over.

"Trade you his sword for those plasma rifles," Ruby smirks at her.

"Deal," she nods, quickly arming herself with the compact weapons, but keeping her magnum in hand.

"Crack open the pods, let's find out what we've got," Ruby tells her, following her own instructions. As she opens the first pod, she opens the comm. again and sends, "This is Rose, pod's are secure. Get a move on kids, the candy store is open."

"You any good with a sniper?" the White Spartan asks, after looking into the second pod.

"My primary, as a rule," Ruby grins under her helmet. "You any good with the big stuff?"

"Not great, but I can handle a rocket pod well enough," White answers. "Weiss by the way."

"Ruby," she returns. "Rifles, SMGs, and Shotguns," she reports opening pod three.

"Covenant stuff, lots of up close and some range," Weiss reports with number four.

A burst of static precedes the transmission, "CONTACT! Look like Black and red Promo's!

"Rally here!" Ruby calls back, setting the sword opposite her magnum, as she attaches the Active Cammo pod to the back of her waist. "We can cover you, so MOVE!" then she grabs a pair of Sniper rifles. "Can you link both?" she asks Rosewind.

"Integrating now," the Semblance returns, a smug tone in her voice.

"Got the pod," Weiss lets her know she's on the same page.

"Then let's get ready to roll out the red hot lead carpet," Ruby grins, as Rosewind uses the armors linkage system to remotely activate the Cloaking Device.

"Damnit, I knew I should have kept his gear," Weiss mutters.

"Here they come," Ruby warns as the pips on her HUD get closer.

"Move your asses!" Weiss yells at the rest as they break the tree line.

A rapid fire volley of shots take out the first of the Grimm to enter the clearing, with a salvo from the rocket pod cleaning up the rest.

"That's going to draw more trouble," Ruby warns as she reappears. "So load up and let's get this show on the road!"

"Who put you in charge?" the black and neon blue Spartan from the ship demands.

"The fact that she found us some weapons, and just saved our collective asses?" Yang snarls at him.

"Just checking," he chuckles good naturedly. "Gimme a sword, shield and railgun if we have them."

"Help yourself," Weiss jerks her thumb at the pods.

"Weiss, give Yang the pod," Ruby orders. "Who else is good with a sniper?"

"Me," a Black with Green Spartan raises her hand.

"Which one is more accurate, Rosewind?" Ruby asks.

"Your left is the more accurate of the two," the Semblance returns.

"Here," Ruby tells the other sniper as she hands over the better gun. "I'm already compensated for the other one."

"Appreciated," she nods, checking the weapon over.

"So what about me?" Weiss demands as Yang appropriates the heavy weapons pod, and a backup shotgun.

"Your aim is pretty good, so grab a DMR," Ruby answers. "You've got the plasma rifles if you need rapid fire."

"OOooo, a Gravity Hammer! And a Brute Shot! MINE!" the member of their group with the pink armor chirps.

"Dibs on that other hammer," another calls as she appropriates a Hydra Launcher.

"Everyone geared up?" a black armored trooper with a purple visor demands as she slaps a pair of SMGs into place on her legs before grabbing a battle rifle.

"Squad up," the Red and Gold member of their group instructs.

"Black and White with us," Yang orders, pointing at the pair as she steps up next to Ruby.

"Who's Black?" Weiss asks.

"She saved my tail with a warning earlier," Yang answers.

"Weiss took out an Elite before he could backstab me," Ruby supplies for her new partner.

"Thanks for watching out for her," Yang tells her.

"I'm Blake," she tells them.

"Let's move. Rosewind, do we have a heading?" Ruby demands.

"Yes. This is our best option in my opinion. There where vehicles located at this firebase that I noticed on our trip down," the Semblance answers. "If we crowd a few, we should be able to get everyone mounted up in one go."

"Sounds like a workable plan," Weiss nods. "Final destination is the base designated as The Lodge, correct?"

"Yes. Once there we can rally with the rest, and take the fight back to these things," Rosewind nods to her.

"We'll need to clear the crashed ship, just to make sure there isn't anything left there waiting to bite us in the tail," Yang growls.

"Well, if you didn't have so much tail, it wouldn't be such a big concern for you," Blake quips, getting the rest to chuckle, including Yang.

"Okay, everyone set with the plan?" Ruby asks.

"Yeah, we can work with this," the neon blue armored Spartan nods. "And for the record, I'm Cole, Black and Green there is Antonia, Blue on Blue is Tasha, and Red and Grey is Talia.

"Okay, Fire Team CATT," Ruby smirks under her helmet.

"I'm Jaune, Red and Gold is Pyrrha, Pinky is Nora, and Green and Grey is Ren," the White over Blue Spartan informs them.

"...Okay, I'll need a bit longer to work that into a name," Ruby mutters.

"JNPR, pronounced Juniper," Weiss's Semblance states as she appears from between two glowing snowflake shapes. "Just as your team's name is the same as your own, simply spelled a bit differently, RWBY."

"Thank you Ice Queen," Weiss smirks as her Semblance vanishes.

"CATT, take the left, JNPR the right. We've got the middle," Ruby directs as she puts the sniper on her back, and draws the energy sword, snapping it to life with a hiss. "Let's move Spartans!"

"Those little ones are a joke...a lame one," Cole remarks over the net as they enter the firebase. "Even a single SMG round is enough to shatter them."

"They are probably designed to horde their targets, taking them down with sheer numbers rather than power," Weiss remarks. "Or as recon drones. Either way, we need to get the hell out of here before bigger, more dangerous ones show up."

"You just had to say something, didn't you!" Yang snarls as a huge shadow passes over them.

"What the hell was that!" Talia demands.

"According to the files, that was a very large Nevermore," her semblance, Troublemaker, answers. "According to this, when they are that large, they are nearly impervious to our level of Firepower, and are able to fire "feather blades" off at ground targets.

"Don't you have any good news?" Talia demands.

"I do," Ruby grins as she climbs aboard as Scorpion tank. "We've got guns big enough to ruin its day."

"Glad I grabbed this thing," Cole smirks as he swaps out his Railgun for a Spartan Laser. "Anti-vehicle, so big and ugly up there should feel it, even if I can't bring it down.

"Saddle up! It's turkey season!" Nora crows, jumping into the turret of the nearest Scorpion.

"You heard her, that things coming around again!" Blake yells, diving into the drivers hatch of another as Ruby claims the turret.

"I've got cover fire," Yang announces as she positions herself behind Blake atop the tank, while Weiss clings to the side.

"Ice Queen, see if you can detect a pattern that the gunner can use against it," Weiss orders, sighting in on the monsters glowing red eyes.

"Working on it," the Semblance growls back, having been trying to discern just that since it's first flyover.

"Open Fire!" Pyrrha yells as it comes in at them, snapping both wings forward and unleashing a flurry of feather blades at them.

And getting a face full of high explosive armor piercing cannon ammunition.

As the now decapitated monster crashes behind them, the group turns their tanks as one to follow the planned route. "Never underestimate the power of aimed fire!" Antonia crows as they roll out.

"Well, it also helps that it was dumb," Weiss points out, grabbing a Warthog with a missile battery turret. "Hey Yang! I need a gunner!" she calls as she drives up next to Ruby's tank.

"Not any more you don't," Yang grins as she lightly hops over, stowing the missile pod in the bed, as she grabs a hold of the targeting controls and slips into the passenger seat.

"Everyone got a ride?" Cole asks, having appropriated a Mongoose ATV for himself.

"Yes," Ren answers, having done the same.

"Oh look, they want to try their luck," Yang grins when they spot a horde of wolf type monsters flooding down the road toward them.

"Yang! Tenderize 'em!" Ruby orders. "Don't slow down, we flatten them, and if they want to follow, we scrape them off our backs with the tank cannons!"

"Say good bye, losers," Yang grins viciously as she triggers the missile rack, the projectiles arcing over the tanks to smash into the front of the charging monsters.

"Floor it!" Ruby orders, as the tanks crash into the new front ranks, crushing an unknown number under their treads.

"Lotus, help me steer," Ren orders as he turns to face behind them, blasting one of the surviving monsters in the face with a burst of SMG fire.

"As you will," the feline voice of his own Semblance purrs in his ear as she helps guide the hand he still has on the controls, thanks to linked visuals from the rest of the group.

Things remain quiet for some time, before a huge black shape smashes free of the forest ahead to block their path, bringing the convoy to an abrupt halt.

"Identification," Weiss barks.

"This one is called a Death Stalker," Ice Queen returns. "Be warned, it's reported to have much heavier protection than the Nevermore could boast."

"It's one big Scorpion, we're a bunch of smaller ones," Yang snorts.

"And we can sting from here. OPEN FIRE!" Cole yells, kicking things off by burning several of the monsters eyes out with his laser.

The rest don't wait for a second opinion, the hail of heavy ordinance blasting the monster into chunks that they simply smash out of their way in passing.

"Marshal, we've got movement!" one of the techs calls, bringing Goodwitches' attention to his station.

"Talk to me," she orders, her tails lashing as she looks over the woman's shoulder.

"We got a momentary signal from Firebase Epsilon," she explains, pointing at her map. "But is wasn't enough to get a read on one way or another. This on the other hand, we couldn't really miss," she grins as she calls up security cam footage of an armored group tearing up the roads toward them.

"Nice work," Goodwitch compliments her. "I'm going to meet them, keep me posted," she orders, before pulling her helmet back on.

Goodwitch is waiting when the three teams arrive, arms crossed, and an amused tone in her voice as she says, "Congratulations. Not only are you the first to arrive, you are the most well equipped bunch I've ever had roll in."

"Fire Teams CATT, RWBY, and JNPR reporting," Cole announces as he dismounts from his Mongoose, the rest of the teams falling out as well.

"Already set as teams eh?" she chuckles. "Well, so much the better. We need more effective help down here, so you are all going to Starforge to get properly outfitted. Report to the Launch Bay, there will be a Specter ready to go by the time you get there."

"Sir!" they all salute.

"Leave the vehicles, we'll put them to good use. Take your personal gear through, just in case," she adds as an afterthought.

"Yes, Ma'am," Yang answers for the lot of them, as she turns back to grab the Rocket Pod out of the Warthog.

"Greyfox, download the information they will need to their Semblances," Goodwitch orders. "I want them to have their new kit assembled and issued ASAP."

"Transferring all pertinent files as we speak," her own Semblance returns.

"Let's go folks, we've got a bird to catch!" Ruby calls to the rest as she takes off, surprising even the genetically enhanced among their number with her speed.

"Jeez, what the hell did they do, dump bottled lightning into her Spartan juice?" Talia huffs as the rest break into a sprint in an attempt to catch up.

"What the heck is Spartan Juice?" Jaune demands as he scrambles to keep up.

"The chemical mixture that they use to strengthen our muscles during the Spartan Conversion Process," Tasha supplies for him. "My sister tends to nickname things."

"There's the bay," Pyrrha reports as they round a corner at a dead run, Ruby already entering the bay.

"Showoff," Yang smirks as she dumps her helmet and drops into the seat next to Ruby, with Blake and Weiss doing the same across from them.

"Do you guys believe this stuff?" Ruby asks, ignoring the comment to focus on what she sees as more important.

"Arkanium is hardly that big a secret," Weiss sniffs. "It's made my family quiet affluent after all."

"Not that," Ruby huffs at what she sees as her teammate missing her point. "This!" she points as Rosewind expands the hologram that she had been viewing so that the rest can see what the fuss is all about.

"Completely customized Weapons and Armor?" Yang says, surprised herself. "I figured we would just be getting the standard stuff but reforged with the new metal to make us more effective...and maybe fit a little better for us."

"This is going to be AWESOME!" Ruby gushes, surprising the non-family members of her team.

"Is she going to be okay?" Blake deadpans.

"Ignore her fangirling, she's a weapons nut," Yang waves off the concern.

"But if we will be getting gear customized to each of us...what do we have for options?" Blake asks, her expression going from concerned to thoughtful.

"I'm going to get something with extreme range and stopping power, and something special for melee," Ruby states.

"Why not two in one?" Ice Queen Counters as the other semblances appear in miniature form near their respective hosts. "The data indicates that they have been developing the Promethean weapons tech into a sort of "folding frame" transformation that allows for weapons to have multiple configurations."

"...Okay, I know what I want," Ruby tells them with a goofy grin and a touch of drool forming at the corner of her mouth.

"I want to see if they can integrate that directly into our armor itself," Yang adds, thinking out loud. "I'd much rather punch things than stand back and take potshots at them."

"That is an incredibly short sighted approach," Weiss sniffs. "But as you seem to have put all your eggs in the "enhanced strength" basket, hardly a surprising one."

"An egg remark, coming from the one who got herself spliced with a bird...oh, the irony," Blake smirks cattily, her tail lashing in amusement.

"Well what of you?" Weiss demands, irritated all out of proportion for the comment.

"Well, for starters, I want to maximize my stealth abilities," she sighs, as if that much should be obvious. "But as I'm primarily in the role of Scout, I'll likely be looking for something that will help me mobility wise...maybe an integrated grappling hook?" she muses.

"Well, I plan to maximize my protection," Weiss declares. "I can't help you all with my brains if I'm taken out first because I'm less sturdily built than you three."

"We're all Spartans, none of us are pushovers," Jaune declares from farther down the line as the ship lifts.

"I think she means that out of the four of us, her chosen splice didn't improve her build before the Augmentation process," Blake returns.

"Indeed, I chose as I did to improve my spacial awareness, and ability to track multiple objects. Not to make myself a physical powerhouse," Weiss nods.

"So does that mean you're all reflexes and angle plotting? Are you a qualified Pilot?" Ruby asks, proving that she is still paying attention.

"Indeed, as well as a certified technical genius," Weiss grins smugly.

"Let's not forget modest," Yang deadpans, making Weiss scowl, while Ruby giggles.

"Regardless, we should all put our utmost into designing the best "build" of armor weapons and equipment to suit us," Pyrrha states, before turning her attention back to the holo her own Semblance is displaying.

"She's right," Ruby nods at the wisdom. "Starforge Station isn't a very long hop, since it's in the center of the Halo."

"You've all had time to review the equipment lists, and make preliminary armor selections, yes?" is the first thing they hear as they troop down the ramp.

"Indeed we have," Pyrrha answers.

"Sir. I outrank the lot of you," the older man smirks, before waving them to follow.

"Sir, Yes Sir," she corrects, snapping a salute, which the rest mimic.

"I'm Forgemaster Phillips, I run this dump," he continues as the three teams follow after him. "Now then, the first order of business should already have been handled by your Semblance Programs."

They all pipe up to report that they have indeed transmitted their hosts' selections to the stations Primary A.I.

"Hephaestus," the Forgemaster orders. "Begin preliminary fabrication. We'll be down to the momentarily for detail scans on the splicers."

"As ordered," a gruff voice returns.

"Don't mind him, he's not very chatty," the Forgemasters' smirks as he leads the way to the cargo sized elevator. "Next stop, the Armor Forge and Fabrication Looms."

"Sir, I understand that there is a Reaction between Arkanium and the Grimm, that results in a distinct kind of crystalline residue when they are destroyed," Weiss says as the elevator moves them to the new area. "But I've also found references to using this "Dust" as a power source. Can you explain that?"

"Dust, super charges our tech," he says simply. "And it's the main power source for Energy type projectile weapons that we construct here for you Hunters. Because when a Dust powered weapons blast hits a Grimm, it has the same effect as if you had stabbed the bastard with an Arkanium blade, causing it to destruct and leave behind more Dust."

"Are all the weapons one shot one kill?" Ruby asks.

"I wish," he snorts. "Some of you are more suited to SMGs and the like for weaponry, and that's all well and good. But the fact remains that it will take more shots to break though the defenses on some Grimm than it will on others. Even with Dust, you will be little more than an annoyance. Of course, the same could be said of most of you when the big ones show up."

"Big ones?" Jaune asks, his voice steady but feeling like his stomach had just gone into freefall.

"Like the Bird type we killed with the tanks, or the Scorpion," Yang smirks under her helm.

"Already found a giant Nevermore, and an oversized Death Stalker eh? Well good job on taking them down, but without Arkanium or Dust, you didn't take them out. They will either recover, or will break down and infect anything they can, mutating it into a new Grimm body to continue the cycle. Damn things are almost as bad as the Flood," the Forgemaster tells them.

"What do you know about the Flood? Didn't that crap get wiped out centuries ago?" Antonia asks.

"I read Files when I'm not showing disrespectful newbies around my base," he snorts. "And what I've read, tells me that it is a very good thing that they ARE gone, because if we had to fight a multiple front war with the Grimm AND them, we'd be wiped out in short order, especially given how much damage the Grimm have done to us by themselves."

"How do the Grimm spread?" Tasha asks from the rear of the group.

"As you saw below, some yahoo will let an infected on to the ship or something, and once they lift, the damn thing goes to town converting the crew and taking over, crashing the ship into the destination point and scattering the new Grimm to continue the disaster," he answers. "Now if you're asking how they infect and transform people and animals into new Grimm, i don't know. I just build things to kill them. And here at Starforge, we are very good at that job."

Having arrived at the area known as the looms, he orders, "Each team to a Scan chamber. Once your scans are done, you can start suiting up in your new kit."

"Okay, now strip," the semblances say once the armored sections are removed from each member.

"What?" Weiss demands.

"They need detailed full body scans," Ice Queen informs her.

"And once they have those, they can quickly generate new body suits, followed by the customized armored parts," Shadowcat informs Blake, anticipating her.

"You heard them girls, Strip," Yang smirks, opening her body suit and allowing her assets to decompress.

"Good grief, you're even bigger than we thought," Blake deadpans, even her semblance looking shocked.

"How do you fit them into the suit?" Shadowcat asks, dumbfounded.

"Practice," Yang grins, noting out of the corner of her eye that Ruby has likewise disrobed. "Better get a move on kitten, or you'll be holding us up," she adds to Blake as she notices Weiss working the suit free of her legs.

"Right," she sighs, freeing her own not inconsiderable charms from their confinement. Once she is as bare as the rest, she asks, "So what now?"

"You step into the scan boxes, and put your hands flat against the sides, and stand on the footprints," Rosewind chimes in for everyone.

"You heard her," Ruby tells the others, as she follows the directions, which triggers the scanners.

Within the stations network, the four semblances convene a meeting while their charges are occupied in real time with the scans.

"Is everyone familiar with the codes of conduct, and the unofficial rules governing down time activities?" Ice Queen asks of the others.

While the other two nod, Rosewind tells her, "Not as yet. Ruby was fast tracked, and that has yet to have come up."

"Are YOU at least aware of them, so she can be properly informed?" the white avatar demands, doing an excellent imitation of being highly irritated.

"Certainly, and as soon as we have enough time for me to explain it all to her, i will, but priorities thus far have been combat and preparation for combat, not fucking around with each other," Rosewind snorts, making it clear she's not going to take any shit from the other program.

"Fine. I assume that of the four of them, Weiss is the physically weakest?" Ice Queen states, allowing the others to see all of her charges stats, and compare them to those of their own charges.

"Like there was going to be any doubt of Yangs' standing in this," Zhue smirks at the confirmation that her charge dwarfs the rest in pure physical power.

"That's surprising," Shadowcat remarks. "Blake is only marginally stronger than Weiss. She has greater endurance ratings though."

"So she will only need to have her claws reigned in, rather than more direct restraint of physical prowess," Ice Queen allows.

"Ruby is probably going to be rather uncooperative with what you have in mind," Rosewind deadpans. "She's a runner, being confined doesn't sit well with her at all."

"I see what you mean," Ice Queen admits, noting that Ruby can easily outpace the rest of the team without even trying. "Hmm... her strength, while greater than Blakes', isn't nearly as extreme as Yangs'. But she has claws like most of the mammalian splices...how about this configuration?" the white avatar asks, flipping an image over to her red counterpart.

"Less likely to start a fight, especially if i tell her while she's coming off her suppressors," Rosewind admits.

"When was her last dose?" Zhue asks, so she can remind Yang if it's an issue.

"With her last meal. Yang saw to it, even if Ruby wasn't aware," Rosewind tells the golden dragon morph avatar.

"Should we see to them all being dosed again during the outfitting?" Shadowcat asks.

"Probably," Ice Queen admits. "We don't know how long the operation back at the Lodge will take, and while we can suppress their urges to a degree, the chemicals do it better, and for longer."

"Adding in the requirement for the conclusion of the scan cycle," Rosewind informs them.

"Confirmed," the rest chorus.

"So do either of you have issues with how things will be played?" Ice Queen asks Zhue and Shadowcat.

"Blake will likely be irritated, but she does accept that her splice makes her more dangerous in such situations," Shadowcat answers.

"Yang's used to having to go through a lot of grief to keep her partners safe from her power," Zhue smirks. "Although i don't think she's quite prepared for the level of kinky you and Weiss have in mind. Should be entertaining."

"Fair enough," Ice Queen says gracing them with the first smile since meeting them. "For now, it appears that the scan is just finishing up, so we should get back to dealing with them as they dress."

"Well that wasn't so bad," Ruby remarks, before a cuff snaps closed around her wrist, with the hiss of air as she is injected with something. It releases her and retracts back into the wall, faster than even she can react to.

"Easy Ruby, that was just a quick shot of some medical stuff," Yang warns her sister before she can start on the demands of WTF.

"It's normal for us splices when they don't know how long an operation will take," Blake adds.

"Let me guess, you have no clue, do you," Weiss smirks as she absently rubs her wrist after the shot.

"I'll fill her in about it later," Rosewind tells them as she appears. "But for now, the lot of you need to suit up. They need you back on the ground."

"Right," Ruby nods, leading the way back out of the scanner booth.

Near the Armor Loom they find their new body suits have been processed, and delivered.

"Orange?" Weiss asks, as she begins pulling on her white suit.

"Goes better with the yellow armor," Yang tells her.

"You sure we got the right ones?" Ruby asks Blake since they both have black ones.

"Yes, mine fits, and I'm taller than you," Blake smirks, as she seals it up with a small bounce as her assets are contained.

"Right," Ruby smirks back, following suit.

"You first kiddo," Yang says gesturing Ruby into the Armoring Loom.

"Right," she nods, stepping forward, and allowing the machine to assemble her armor around her, with her helmet being lowered on a hook for her to put on herself.

"Where's the rest of it, Rosewind?" she asks as she steps free, helmet still in hand.

"Arriving now," the hologram reports, as a small hatch opens and a square of folded cloth is presented.

"Good," Ruby grins, putting her helmet on as she moves over to it, the fabric shifting colors to match her armor as she touches it, and shaking it out before pulling it around her shoulders, special plates mag locking it in place.

"So what do you guys think?" Ruby asks as she pulls the hood up over her helmet, and turns around.

"Crimson Death," Weiss deadpans, surprised that the visor of Ruby's helmet appears to be showing a skull.

"Not so Little Red Reaping Hood," Blake smirks.

"I know you liked those things as a kid Ruby, but why now?" Yang asks.

"To break up my shape and help me blend in as a sniper," she retorts. "Besides, I can do this now," she grins as she crouches and pulls the cloak around herself. It changes colors as she moves, and when she is still, resembles a generic rock found on most any planet.

"That's...actually very good camouflage for a sniper," Weiss is forced to admit, her expression shifting from irked to thoughtful.

"Exactly," they can just hear the grin in Ruby's voice. "But what was with the "grim reaper" jokes?"

"Your visor has a skull in it," Blake deadpans.

"It does? Cool!" Ruby blurts out. "Rosewind, armor enhancement checks, if you please."

"Directional shield," Rosewind says, as Ruby brings up her arm as if to block and a pale blue energy shield appears before her.

"Confirmed functional," Ruby reports.

"Chameleon camouflage," Rosewind continues.

"That works," Yang confirms for her as Ruby's colors wash out to blend in with the wall behind her.

"Speed Booster," is next on the checklist.

"Not here," all of them answer.

"We save that one for when we actually have the space to check it," Ruby orders.

"Healing unit...appears to be functioning normally," Rosewind answers that one herself. "Looks like you just need your load out," she reports.

"My turn," Weiss smirks as she moves into the Loom with Ruby clearing space for her.

"Huh, i figured you would get a more...Distinctive helmet design," Yang remarks as Weiss steps free of the armatures, now fully armored.

"Being overly distinctive draws fire," Weiss retorts, using one of the many sayings passed on to her during her training.

"Very true," Blake agrees with a smirk.

"Equipment check," Weiss orders.

"Directional shields," Ice Queen responds.

Holding both hands forward, a pair of shields like Ruby has appear before her. Nodding in satisfaction, she shuts them down and orders, "Next."

"Bubble shield," the Semblance responds, causing Weiss to throw her arms wide, the omnidirectional shield appearing around her with barely enough space to not crowd the others of the Loom.

"Hey, that one looks big enough you can use it to protect other people," Yang observes.

"Next," Weiss instructs, shutting down the shield.

"Speed Booster...on Standby," Ice Queen continues down the checklist, already making note of the previous call regarding that piece of equipment. "Jet pack...was not supplied."

"I'll get one from a Specter," Weiss tells her.

" Healing unit..functional. That only leaves Glyph," the Semblance reports.

"I'll collect her when we return to the Fleet," Weiss nods, moving clear so that Blake can take her place.

"What's a Glyph?" Ruby asks.

"I've been customizing and partially repurposing a Promethean Watcher as a recon drone," Weiss explains. "She's currently half assembled back in my workshop area on the Beacon."

"Shadowcat?" Blake asks as she steps clear of the Loom.

"Speed Booster on standby," the dark purple hologram says as she flashes into existence. "Healing Unit...online. Active Camouflage," she trails off waiting for Blake to activate the system.

"Looks good," Yang says with a thumbs up as Blake becomes invisible, the slight distortion of her outline vanishing as she stops moving.

"Holo decoy system," Shadowcat says for the next system.

"Holo clones, nice!" Ruby enthuses as a pair of duplicates appear on either side of Blake.

"And grapple launcher," the Semblance finishes her rundown, as Blake pulls the pistol looking tool from the small of her back, and test fires it across the room.

"Good to go," Blake says, the purple glowing slits that are her visor seeming to brighten for an instant before she steps away.

"And now for the Big Guns," Yang grins as she steps up, allowing the Loom to assemble her armor around her.

"Zhue, how we lookin'?"Yang asks as she steps free.

"Tail Mace," the Semblance begins.

"Present and ready to smash skulls," Yang says, purposefully bringing the added armor on her tail down on the deck to punctuate her comment.

"Healing unit...good to go. Directional Shields?" Zhue continues.

"Online," Yang answers as she brings up both hands in a boxers guard pose and the shields appear before her.

"Strength booster?" Zhue asks.

"It works," Yang smirks as she grabs both Ruby and Weiss by the back of their armor and lift them both as if they weighed nothing.

"And lastly we have the Kinetic Redirection and Storage Amplification System," Zhue tells her as she releases the others.

"Gimme your best shots," Yang tells the rest as she opens her arms wide, receiving three powerful blows almost at once. "Jeeze, you didn't need to be so eager about it," she mutters as she absently rubs at her chest plate where Ruby had kicked her.

"Absorption and storage functional," Zhue reports. "The rest will need to wait till you can cut loose."

"Along with my jetpack," Yang nods, the visor/eyes of her more animalistic looking helmet flashing red.

"Now that you are all outfitted," Rosewind breaks in, "You are receiving new orders to report to the Forge area itself for your new weapons."

"Let's go," Ruby nods, quickly followed by the rest as they file out of the chamber.


End file.
